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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Has anybody noticed that there are a lot more goldfinches in the area this year? With a very cheerful song, these birds often perch at the tops of trees. Until you get the camera out. Then they disappear. It's surprisingly camera-shy. Though I did manage to catch this one on Creekside...

You are spot on about the number of goldfinches - many many more than usual, although I'm not sure why. Quite difficult to see when they are perching, but one of the easiest small birds to identify on the wing with their bouncy flight and conversational chirrup. They always seem to me like they are on the way somewhere really exciting, and chatting with their mates as they fly overhead about what a great night out they are going to have.

Their sudden populating of the area must be related to other birds having suffered over the long cold winter. A couple of years ago one of the most distinctive calls you could hear around here was the grey wagtails, but they've become much less frequent this year. In fact, you're now more likely to see the pied wagtail in the area, with the grey wagtails seeming to have been confined to the creek.

I think the goldfinch is less dependent on insects for its food than many other species - I wonder if that has also helped it succeed. But I've no idea really - just hypothesising.